Hypermilling an 8% grade?

[GhostWolfGT]

HA! The 1st time I ever went over Afton was an 80's Ford Ranger on 33's with the 80's Mustang 4 banger under the hood. I had to crawl up in 1st gear and was a bit nervous I was going to have to put it in Low. I had 18wheelers passing me.

Once I became an OTR Trucker I discovered Afton is just a small hill compared to out west.

Afton does have me concerned though. My tdi 5th gear set came in the mail yesterday and I'm hoping I have the torque to still make it over in 5th. I may have to bypass it by going north of Charlottesville.

[Frank Lee]

Would a hypermilled 8% grade be a 0% grade?

[JRMichler]

Hypermill it twice, and it will be 8% downhill all the way.

[darcane]

My take is this: When accelerating, keep it at 80-85% load where the engine is most efficient. If that means I gain speed going up the hill, I will pulse and glide. If not, then keep it at the sweet spot for load and let my speed bleed off until the lower limit of what I think is safe. Start with as much momentum as possible.

[JRMichler]

On a more serious note, a long upgrade like that requires a Scangauge or Ultragauge. Try different speeds and different gears, then stick with the combination of speed and gear that shows the best trip MPG at the top of the hill.

My truck, for example, would be near WOT in 4th gear or part throttle in 3rd gear on an 8% grade. Here's a thread discussing the same topic: http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ear-23957.html